New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI/Mediawire): Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, created an excellent opportunity for its MBA (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) students to showcase their startups at "The Grand Pitch 2022", to potential investors for funding. The event was planned and executed by the Innovation Council, a student council at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management Pune (SIBM Pune), on September 20, 2022.

Speaking about this event Dr R Raman Director of SIBM Pune stated "The MBA (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) Program of SIBM Pune is constantly brimming with ideas of entrepreneurial intent and the students of this program are presented with many possibilities to propel their ventures towards success. Grand Pitch is one of them which gives a funding opportunity to the startups from SIBM Pune"

The Grand Pitch 2022 hosted an eminent group of investors that included Arnab Ray, Chief Executive Officer, Array Innovative and Consultancy Services; Niraj Lunawat, Founder and CEO, Ai India Innovation Center; Ashish Banka, Co-founder, Angel Investor, Eggfirst Advertising and Design; Nishant Oberoi, Founder, Angel Investor, GoPllay; Poojit Jain, Angel Investor, Co-Founder, Eaglewings Ventures; Rajeev Manjrekar, Chief Advisor, Datakatalyst Ventures LLP and an esteemed alumnus of the 1997 batch of SIBM Pune, Vaibhav Goyal, Mentor and Investor, India Accelerator, and Varun Sharma, Co-Founder, Cloudegic Inc.

The event kicked off with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. The event was also graced by Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) and Dr Rajini Gupte, Vice Chancellor, Symbiosis International ( Deemed University), who greeted the investors before the main event.

The investors were guided onto the stage by Dr Ramakrishnan Raman, Director, SIBM Pune, Dean, Faculty of Management, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, and Director, Strategy, and Development, SIU. This was followed by Dr Raman's address, where he referred to the MBA (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) program as the brainchild of Prof Dr S.B. Mujumdar, Founder and President, Symbiosis, and Chancellor, SIU. Then ensued the preparations for the array of pitch meetings and the interaction between entrepreneurs and tycoons.

Students and alumni of MBA (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) along with startups from SCEI were granted the platform to gain funding in exchange for a stake in their upcoming businesses. The presentations made to the investors focused on the problem statements and innovative solutions explaining feasibility and potential. This event was in tune and similar to the well-known show "Shark Tank India".

The plethora of startups that gained the fortuitous opportunity to showcase themselves in front of intrigued investors included HabitUp, Chop n' Chill, Air Guruji, Wevive India, Supolabs, Cannabie, Oitary, Ecoco Straws, S-Neel Enterprises Private Limited, Des Rangeela, Corpodates, and 1 Million Women Leaders Circle. Among more than 50 startups that applied, the ones mentioned above made it through to the shortlist. Ranging from menstrual health to AIML in schools, different problem statements, and perspectives were presented by the enthusiastic visionaries. As the participants were exploring trends encompassing healthy foods to textiles and home decor by Indian artists, the anticipation towards each presentation only grew throughout the day.

Synonymous with SharkTank India, the presentations were discussed in detail and the panelists were immensely supportive of the ideas and efforts made. The conversations around marketing strategies, opportunities, sales channels, positioning, scalability, and the impact created through the innovations coupled with the priceless guidance of investors and the connections made would remain an asset for the entrepreneurial journeys to come. The participants had also set up their stalls to showcase their ventures which were open for all to visit and make purchases as well. The day of suspense, debate, offers, and counter-offers ended with success and a brighter path ahead for the budding entrepreneurs who proved themselves and their vision to the prestigious panel.

AIR Guruji, ushering in AIML, Robotics, and IoT in schools, and Oitary, a revolutionary FemTech captured the interest of investors and secured 9 lakhs and 7.5 lakhs of funding respectively. The efforts of the Innovation Council and volunteers, the earnest work put in by the innovators, and the words of wisdom from the illustrious investors helped The Grand Pitch 2022 be a resounding success.

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